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Teledyne FLIR, a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has been selected as a winner of the Blue UAS Refresh for its Nano Drone, the Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance System.
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recently hosted a Blue UAS Refresh event at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, with the Black Hornet 4 chosen during the evaluation.
The refresh event saw over three dozen military users test more than 35 UAS products and capabilities to support the DoD’s requirement for effective drone technology.
Black Hornet 4 is a tactical UAS capable of providing enhanced covert situational awareness to small fighting units. Its 12-megapixel daytime camera and high-resolution thermal imager deliver crisp video and still images to the operator. At just 70 grams, Black Hornet 4 can fly for over 30 minutes, more than three kilometers, and function in 25-knot winds and rain. Flight performance is augmented by advanced obstacle avoidance capabilities and other features.
In comparison to quad-rotor drones, the single rotor Black Hornet 4 UAV has an extremely low visual and audible signature, enabling it to identify threats day or night without being detected. Able to launch in less than 20 seconds and well suited for missions in GPS-denied environments, Black Hornet 4 can be used to rapidly identify targets beyond visual line-of-sight and assess weapon effects in real-time.
Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense, commented, “Black Hornet 4 has been extremely well received by the warfighter since it was first introduced in late 2023. We are very proud to see Black Hornet 4 selected as a winner of Blue UAS Refresh and are confident this unique drone will continue to have a huge impact for all operators across all missions.
“Along with having already been selected for the U.S. Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor Tranche 2 program, this latest achievement will make Black Hornet 4 available to an even larger cohort of users.”
As a result of winning Blue UAS Refresh, Teledyne FLIR’s Black Hornet® 4 will begin the NDAA and cyber security verification process required to join the Blue UAS List with an Authority to Operate (ATO).
